Three weeks till science competition deadline

Just three weeks remain in which to submit entries for school-science competition the Bright Spark awards, meaning time is fast running out for putting finishing details to projects.

Discovery Park’s Kimberley Anderson said the Bright Spark judges were looking forward to seeing what ‘the next generation’ are doing

The awards encourage teams of pupils to use cross-curricular skills in science, technical, engineering and maths (Stem) subjects in practical projects.

They are open to primary and secondary schools, and have three categories: innovation, investigation and invention

To enter, schools need to submit videos detailing their projects, and shortlisted teams will present their work to the judges at a Dragons’ Den-style awards ceremony at Discovery Park.

[It’s the fifth year that the ceremony has taken place at Discovery Park], which sees the awards as an invaluable tool for nurturing the sort of talent needed by the science and tech firms resident at its premises.

Discovery Park’s Kimberley Anderson said: “It’s quite a special award: it’s all about Stem careers, inspiring the next generation.

“I think for the dragons who are judging the event, it’s really special too, to see what the next generation are actually doing.”

Judging by previous year’s entries, “what they are doing” could include anything ranging from exploring mechanisms for early earthquake detection to contributing to the search for a cure for multiple sclerosis.

But to be in with a chance of winning an award, it is essential that schools submit their video entries by May 31. They can do so at Kmcharityteam.co.uk/brightspark.

Watch a video in which Kimberley Anderson talks about the awards here: